Enter in the basics - location (by country, state/province, or city), age range, gender, and language.

Quick tip: When selecting a specific city, be sure to select "People who live in this location". Otherwise, FB includes tourists and recent visitors by default.

Zero in with the detailed targeting field near the bottom. You can go after certain demographics, interests, or behaviors. Start typing, and Facebook will make a few suggestions. Be specific. Who exactly is your ideal target?

You can also exclude people (such as those who've already liked your page), narrow your audience, or set a connection type (by either your Facebook Page, apps, or events).

Step 3 - Select Your Placement

Ads can be placed on Facebook - in the feeds or right-hand column - on Instagram, or on the Audience Network. Note that all options aren't available for every objective.

Automatic Placements is the default. If you've done your homework and know that your target audience just doesn't use Instagram, select "Edit Placements" and exclude that platform.

You can further narrow your targeting by selecting "All device types", "Mobile only", or "Desktop only", as well as either "All mobile devices", "Only Android", or "Only iOS". If you're promoting an iPhone app, for example, you probably don't need it to go out to Android users.

Step 4 - How Much and For How Long

You can simply enter a daily minimum or a lifetime budget, and opt to run the campaign continuously or from a concrete start and stop date. Done.

Under Advanced Options, you can get a little more precise:

Optimization for advert delivery - Facebook will always make a recommendation based on what you've told it.

Bid amount - Automatic, or manual. How much is each action worth to you?

When you are charged - You can pay per 1000 impressions (good when you just want it seen by as many eyes as possible), per click, per like, or per action (typically more expensive, but you only pay when someone actually converts).

Advert scheduling - Run all the time, or only during certain hours and/or days.

If you have data, go ahead and tweak, otherwise, it's best to let Facebook do its thing.

Facebook always gives a suggested bid, but you can adjust that amount. Go too low, however, and you risk losing out to other advertisers vying for the same audience.

Step 5 - Ad Format

You're given the choice or either Carousel (an ad with 2-10 scrollable images or videos), single image (you can use up to six different ones), single video, or slideshow.

The Carousel format is great if you want to showcase your product line, demonstrate something simple, or tell a story - some studies suggest it generates 10x more traffic than single image ads.

Will it do that for you? Perhaps. But choose the format that best fits your needs.

Step 6 - Get Creative

Your actual ad needs to look good (high quality visuals), be well written (active, persuasive language), and appeal to your chosen target. Do some keyword research to find the words and phrases that most resonate with them.

Consider segmenting your audience so you can create targeted ads that appeal to those smaller groups.

Quick tip: You'll see recommended specs on the right-hand side for images and videos. Follow them.

Upload, select from your Facebook library, or choose a free stock image depending on your chosen format. You can then crop, adjust, and give each a unique headline and link.

Enter the text for your ad, and preview for both the desktop and mobile versions on the right. Make sure it looks stunning.

When you're done, review and place your order. That's it.

Understand your goals, take the time to define your audience as precisely as possible, and rotate ads regularly to avoid ad fatigue. Keep it fresh and engaging.

Monitor your campaign from Ads Manager. You can check number of reach, results, and average cost per result, among other data points that you select from the "Column" dropdown menu.

Use the "Breakdown" options to see exactly who reacted to your ad, when, where, and on what device.